Bart will now be assisting Reed Business CEO Tad Smith “in furthering Variety’s editorial mission in print and online and expanding the brand’s position in new revenue streams,” said Variety, on its Web site late Sunday. It was added that he will carry on with his weekly column and stay as the public face of Variety.
While Bart prepares to "assume a new role", his place would be filled by Tim Gray, a veteran Variety staffer and editor, who will be the new head of the news operation, reporting to Neil Stiles, president of Variety.
Bart will be reporting to Tad Smith, CEO of Reed Business, Variety’s parent company, wrote Variety’s chief rival Hollywood Reporter.
While controlling the news operations of Variety for two decades, Bart managed to generate admiration parallel to envy, fear and exasperation throughout the various ranks of the industry. Creating several controversies during his reign, Bart became quite a prominent figure in Hollywood.
However, despite the demand of the times, he was never too keen on a more online-centric publishing model.
"Bart was one of the staunchest proponents that Variety has to remain a print publication, while others at Reed want to move the trade more, and maybe even completely, into the digital era because of eroding advertising,” says Nikki Finke, a renowned American journalist and blogger.
Formerly, Bart served as a reporter and columnist for the New York Times and as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Chicago Sun-Times.
Variety, which was once the leading daily chronicler of Hollywood inside business news, has been having it quite tough for the past few months. With advertisement hit by the economic turmoil, threats from the latest Internet-based news sites and challenges from bloggers, Variety has gradually lost ground.
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